


Truant

by TerminaFerrero



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-09 16:04:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7808269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerminaFerrero/pseuds/TerminaFerrero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Child Protective Services has received a lot of distressing calls about a certain 'Steven Universe' and his interesting and dangerous family. And isn't Beach City that place where all the funky, weird things happen? A place where monsters run rampant and meteors destroy things every few months certainly isn't appropriate for children at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Steven Universe, and I'm not part of CPS. If I was, I'd probably move all the children out of Beach City. Wacky things happen there.

Someone was knocking at the screen door. "This is CPS! Is anyone home?"

Steven sighed and heaved himself up. Why was he always interrupted when a new episode of Crying Breakfast Friends came out? CPS… That sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite remember what that meant.

There were two people in suits at the door, a man and a woman. Steven opened the door innocently. "Uh, hi! Can I help you?"

"Are you… 'Steven Universe'?" The woman asked, looking at a sheet of paper in her hands.

"Oh, yeah, that's me!"

The woman poked her head in the house and looked around. "Hmm. Strange place this is."

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure how the Gems built it, but it's my home, so... Yeah!"

The woman looked at the man in confusion, and he shrugged and stepped forward. "Son, we're from Child Protective Services, and we came about an inquiry to your… upbringing. There are many people in town concerned about you."

Child Protective Services? He certainly wasn't a child, and the Gems did all the protecting he needed. He was glad that people were concerned about him, but that didn't mean he wanted weird adults at his door.

"Steven, can we ask you a few questions?"

"Uh... Suure...?"

The man cleared his throat. "Are you alone here?"

"Well, Garnet and Pearl are out on a mission... Oh, but Amethyst is in her room, I think!"

"Uh huh... How old are you?"

"I just turned fourteen! Aw, it was an awesome party, except for when I kind of turned-"

"That's nice, Steven." The woman interrupted, scribbling notes down on a clipboard. "Have you ever been to school?"

They were certainly intrusive. "Uh, no, I've never been to school. I learn everything from my dad and the Gems! Aaaand... the internet!"

Troubling. The poor boy was certainly deficient. The woman agent tapped her pencil against her clipboard. "Hmm. Steven, may we come in? For just a minute?"

The boy rubbed his chin. These people didn't seem dangerous, but they seemed awful official… Well, he could probably stop them if they tried to kidnap him or something. He put on a smile and opened the door all the way.

"Go ahead! Welcome… To our home base!"

The agents examined the house. "Hmm… What an odd house!"

"It's quite isolated..."

"Half wood… Half… What is this stuff? And what's beyond that door?"

"Oh, that's the temple door. It opens up differently depending on who's going in."

"Temple? Steven, is... Is your family religious?"

"What?" He sat down on the couch and turned to face them. "Uh, we're not really big on religion. This is just where we live! A Gem temple!"

The man laughed. "Son, I'm pretty sure if you live in a temple, you must have some religion. Is that why you don't go to school?"

"Uh, no. I'm… homeschooled! Yeah, that's it."

The woman surveyed the warp pad curiously. It reminded her of those strange ruins her own son was interested in. Who would build a house on top of all this junk? She turned back to the boy, who was staring at them cautiously.

"Steven… Is living here safe? Are you happy? Are there… any dangers in your life? Anything that might not seem normal, for example?"

"Weeell… We're not really anything normal at all… We go out on missions, and fight monsters, and do all sorts of wacky stuff!"

"Missions? Monsters?" The woman shook her head at her partner. This certainly didn't sound good.

"Yeah, the Gems are amazing! They-"

"Steven." The man sat down on the couch beside him. "Do you think we could speak to your parents?"

"Oh, I'll go see if Amethyst is here." Steven jumped up and ran to the temple door, almost knocking down the woman agent on the way. He pounded on the door viciously.

"Aaaaameeethyyyst!" He cried. "Some weird adults are here! They wanna see you, I think!"

The door, to the agents' surprise, turned purple and opened, revealing a short, purple-skinned woman, stretching and yawning. "Ugh, Steven, what are you going on about? I'm trying to sleep."

"CPS is here!" He said, smiling and pointing at the two bewildered agents. Amethyst froze mid-stretch and stared at them.

"C… CPS? Like, uh, Child… Child Protective Services?" She stammered weakly.

"Precisely. Are you Steven's mother? We've gotten some serious reports from people in town, and-"

"Woah, woah woah." Amethyst said. "I, uh, I'm not his mom! I'm just… A friend!"

"Amethyst!" Steven cried. "You can't just bail like that!"

"Um, whatevs. Let's just call Greg, bro. He can probably handle this."

"But Dad's busy!"

The woman sighed. This situation was getting stranger and stranger. She scribbled more notes as Steven started dialing his dad's number.

* * *

 

Greg laughed nervously as he met the piercing gazes of the two CPS agents.

"We've received many reports from Beach City citizens." The man began. "A few from the mayor, even. Apparently, young Steven here not only doesn't attend school, but is frequently exposed to violence and danger that more often than not threatens the town. Some say he's even the cause of it! Can you explain this to me, Mister Universe?"

"W-Well, uh, you see, Steven isn't exactly a, uh, normal boy." Greg gulped. This was ten times harder with them staring at him. "He's, uh… He needs a special education, and-"

"The matter of his education can wait. We're more concerned about these 'dangers'. Almost a year ago, an enormous meteor crashed into this very city, forcing the town to evacuate. According to a report we received, though, Steven and his guardians did not evacuate, and were in fact present when the meteor crashed! If this is such an unsafe environment, Steven should be moved to a-"

"Nonononono!" Greg and Amethyst exclaimed together.

"He's, uh, fine! No danger! He was uh… The ship didn't hurt him!" Amethyst said, panicked.

"The Gems have everything under control, you see, and-"

The man violently interrupted Greg. "Who are these Gems we keep hearing about? Steven's last name is Universe, strange as that is. Are there more adults living here?"

The warp pad suddenly activated, and Garnet and Pearl were there. The two agents stared in amazement as they stepped off and approached.

"T-They just…" The man stammered.

"Hello." Garnet spoke, adjusting her visor. "I am… Garnet Universe, one of Steven's guardians. We… heard there was some trouble."

"O-Oh, yes!" Pearl agreed. "You're CPS, aren't you? Welcome to our lovely home? I mean, yes, welcome! There's absolutely no danger here, no way! Aha..."

The woman scribbled on a clipboard, trying to distract herself from the fact that two incredibly odd women had just appeared out of nowhere. "So, you're all his guardians? Which one of you is his mother?"

There was an uncomfortable silence. Steven suddenly spoke up. "Well, my… My mom is gone, and the… Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were her closest friends, and they take care of me because… Uh… Well, Dad is busy with the car wash, so…"

The woman softened a bit. "I see. I apologize. But that does not excuse the conditions here. Miss… Garnet. Is Steven really subjected to violent dangers and… 'monsters' every day?"

"Yes."

"Garnet!" Pearl exclaimed.

"W-What? He can't possibly live here, if that's the case. He needs to be in school, like everyone else, and he shouldn't-"

"No!" Steven cried. "I don't wanna leave!"

"Steven is protected and cared for here." Pearl said. "We are teaching him about the world every day, along with proper curriculum, and he has plenty of friends in Beach City that don't mind that he's a bit different."

"Yeah! We're great parents! Like… Uh… Like Connie's parents!" Amethyst shape-shifted into Mrs. Maheswaran and did a little dance. The two agents stared, agape. The woman tried to write more notes but ended up dropping her pen.

"Let's talk outside." Garnet said. She grabbed the two agents and carried them outside, ignoring their protests. Steven and the others looked on in confusion as they disappeared.

"Well… That got rid of them!" Greg laughed nervously. Amethyst sighed and reverted to her original form.

"Amethyst, you can't just shape-shift in front of humans like that! They don't like it!"

"Well, soooorry! How was I supposed to know that they'd freak?"

As they continued arguing, Steven frowned and hugged his dad. "W-Would they really take me away from you guys? It's not that big a deal, right?"

"Oh, no one's taking you away." Pearl suddenly laughed. "Garnet can explain to them, however incredible it may be, that you are quite safe and happy here."

"I am! Wouldn't they listen to me?"

Greg sighed. "Well, the government isn't always agreeable. They'd probably take you away in a heartbeat! You're not technically old enough to make your own decisions, even though the law doesn't necessarily extend to Gems... But, uh..."

"Nah, man! I'd beat 'em to a pulp!" Amethyst giggled and pumped her fists.

"Amethyst…"

Steven ran to the window. Garnet had set the agents down, and was talking to them. She'd be able to sort things out, for sure.

* * *

 

Garnet sighed and sat down on the sand. She had tried to carefully explain things to the two agents, but they were too mind-boggled to understand.

"So, you're saying that… You all are… Magic alien beings? And Steven… Is half-magic?"

"Yes." Garnet said. She held up her arms and materialized her gauntlets. "We fight to protect humanity from any and all extraterrestrial dangers. Steven is in training with us, and he is always in good hands."

The two agents looked at each other.

"I know this may seem very odd, but I assure you that Steven is in a safe environment. There are dangers, of course, but he is not quite human, and he can handle himself in a fight."

"A fight…?" This was not good. Aliens, magic, monsters… What would she tell her superiors?

This was too much. "W-Well, Miss Garnet, thank you so much for your time!" The man exclaimed, grabbing his partner and dragging her away. "We… We'll come check up later, of course! Adios! Bye!"

Garnet watched them go, a frown on her face. Steven and the others came outside as they saw the agents leave, and ran down to see what had happened.

"Did you get them to go away forever?" Steven asked.

"Oh, no." Garnet said. "They're going to come back later with the police. In a few days, I think."

"Whaat!?" Pearl and Greg cried.

"Garnet, what are we gonna do?" Steven cried. "They're gonna take me away, aren't they?"

"Nah, we'll annihilate them!" Amethyst said. "Let's get Lapis and Peridot! We'll rustle up an army!"

"No. We cannot go against the authorities. It will only make things worse."

"Then… What do we do?" Greg asked, pulling Steven close to him. He couldn't believe he had never thought this would happen… There was no way he could stop CPS from getting what they wanted…

"We just wait and hope we can work things out appropriately." Garnet said. She stood up and headed towards the house, and soon the rest of them followed. Steven stayed behind, watching the agents head past the Big Donut and up the street. He frowned, and his hand slowly curled into a fist.

"I won't let you take me away…"


	2. Chapter 2

"Aliens!" She cried.

"Magic!" He gasped.

"Monsters!" They both yelled.

The agents' superior swiveled her chair around to face them. "Um… Want to run that by me again?"

"T-The Universe boy…" The woman clumsily picked up her clipboard and ran through the pages of notes she had taken. "He's… They're all some sort of weird alien team!"

"She had three eyes!" The man yelled. "Three! That's one more than we have!"

The superior sighed. "Barbara, Tony, this is really making no sense. Let's take it from the top. Who're the parents?"

"That's just it! He has a father and three guardians! There's Garnet, and… Oh, the father's Greg Universe, and-"

"I'll look them up." The superior swiveled back to her computer and began typing. Barbara nervously went through her notes again, and Tony sat still, muttering to himself. It was very distracting.

"Well… Uh… Garnet Universe, right? Says here she's… 'Special status'. Uh, she's an honorary citizen. Funny… Hmm…"

"What?" Barbara squawked. "They're aliens! How could they-"

"Now, Barbara, I can't believe you'd refer to foreign people as 'alien'. That's downright rude! I've never seen anything like this, but this woman is definitely a U.S. citizen… The others are too, except for Greg Universe. That isn't even his real last name…"

"Ma'am, we need to take action immediately." Tony spoke up. "I'm sure you've heard of all the strange things that happen in Beach City. Apparently, they happen because of this boy's family. We can't let Steven, or any other child, stay in that city any longer!"

The superior laughed. "That's a bit drastic, isn't it? Weird things happen all over the world, you know. There's that floating isle above Peru, the radioactive ruins in China, those meteors that fall at Beach City… Oh, do you remember that mysterious temple that was in the middle of the ocean? It disappeared about a year ago... The whole world was puzzled. There's no escaping weirdness."

"Yes, there is! The boy doesn't even attend school! And he's apparently fourteen, but he looks incredibly young, and-"

"What's this boy's name again?" The superior returned to her computer.

"Steven Universe."

They waited in silence while she tapped at the keyboard again. Barbara felt incredibly antsy; she wanted to sort this incredible situation out as soon as possible.

"Uh, there's not much on him. He's an honorary citizen too, but he's never been to school… Hey, this file has no flags! How have we not noticed this beforehand?"

"I-I don't know. Apparently we have reports ranging back from a year ago, when that huge meteor fell. I only found out about it recently, when I received more calls." Tony explained. "You've got to come see this for yourself, ma'am."

The supervisor sighed. This certainly seemed like a difficult situation, but it had been a while since she personally conducted an investigation. She might as well check this out...

* * *

 

"Steven." Garnet went up to the boy. He had been silent all day, nervously bouncing around the house without doing anything. They had received a call around noon: CPS would be returning for a follow-up visit in a few days.

"Oh, h-hey, Garnet." Steven smiled weakly. Garnet sat down on the bed beside him.

"Don't worry about a thing. We can get this sorted out."

"Really?"

"Yes. The United States government knows about us, and keeps mostly out of our affairs. Pearl, Amethyst, and I were made citizens around the time you were born so we could properly care for you, and take advantage of the benefits if needed."

"Woah, really? I never even thought about that! Am I a citizen too?"

"Yes. We will be able to get this under control, and if not, your father can make some phone calls."

Steven sighed and leaned over to Garnet, hugging her tightly. She smiled and patted the boy's head.

"Everything will be alright, Steven. We'll always be here for you. Just remember, if anyone comes to ask you questions, just tell the truth. It'll be easier that way."

Steven nodded, feeling relieved. If Garnet said he'd be okay, then he'd definitely be okay. Those CPS jerks would get what was coming to them. No one messed with the Gems!

"Now, go clean up and go outside for a bit. It's not good for you to be moping inside all day."

"Yeah, okay... Ooh, I'll go see how Lapis and Peridot are doing!" He scrambled out of bed and ran outside, leaving Garnet in the dust. She shook her head and surveyed the house carefully...

She couldn't imagine living here without Steven.

* * *

 

Steven sat outside on the porch, nervously fiddling with his shirt. The two agents had come back with their supervisor and two police officers, and they were all inside poking around and talking to the Gems and Greg. He was worried; would they really be able to get out of this?

The screen door opened, and the supervisor lady appeared, smiling sweetly at him. "Hi, there, Steven. How are you doing?"

"Uh… Fine?"

"Hmm… My name's Suzanne. You can call me Suzie. Can I ask you a few questions about… well, everything?"

He sighed. "Sure thing."

"Alright." She slowly went up and sat down beside him. The poor boy looked absolutely nerve-wracked, and he kept messing with his shirt. She was still trying to absorb all the information the… The Crystal Gems had given her, but she did her best to remain calm.

"So, Steven, you're half-human and half-Gem, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's very cool. You're one-of-a-kind, Steven, and that means that the rules are different for you." Suzie looked out across the beach. "Our job, though, is to enforce the rules, and make sure everyone is safe, be it children or adults. And so, we have to apply our rules to you, and that definitely doesn't seem fair. Right?"

He nodded.

"May… May I see your Gem, Steven? The others showed me theirs…"

The boy looked up at her. "Uh, do I have to?"

"Of course not. I was just asking."

But he started lifting up his shirt, and there it was. A beautiful pink gem, right there on his bellybutton. She found herself staring at it, but quickly pried her eyes away, lest she make Steven far more uncomfortable than he already was.

"It's very pretty."

"Uh, thanks… I guess…"

"Steven, do the Gems take care of you? Do you ever feel neglected at all? It must be hard trying to keep up with them sometimes."

He responded carefully, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I've been getting better, but I don't really match up to them most of the time… B-But I don't feel neglected! They're always hanging out with me and teaching me stuff… And during missions they protect me and I protect them, too!"

"I see. Are you happy with this kind of life?"

"Well… Well, it's all I've ever known, you know? I see shows and stuff about 'normal' kids, but that never really appeals to me, and most of the time the kids are really mean to their parents. I'd never do that!"

Suzie laughed. "I hear you. My own daughter frequently rebels against me… It's oh so tiring... Hmm..."

Steven stared at her.

"Um, well, what about friends, Steven? Beach City has been sparsely populated as of late, but there are other kids here, right?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm friends with Peedee, and Ronaldo, and Lars and Sadie, even though they're not really kids, and I guess I'm friends with Onion, but he's kind of weird… And there's Kiki and Jenny and Sour Cream and- Well, most of the adults think I'm weird, but they're usually nice. And my bestest friend in the whole world is Connie!"

She smiled. He was certainly happy here. "About your education..."

"Oh, Pearl's taught me, like, everything! Algebra, English, history... Well, her version of it, of course, and she's trying to get me to do calculus, but it's really irritating. Regular math is frustrating enough!"

"Yes, Pearl has more or less been following standard curriculum... She showed us her charts and lesson plans, as well as all the textbooks..."

"Ugh, I hate those things. She plans everything out perfectly... But, you know, that's Pearl! She knows about as much as the internet, I bet! No... The internet is supposed to be endless... But Gems don't get old, so maybe she can learn that much stuff. She's makes teaching fun, too, which is good cuz it always seems so boring on TV..."

Suzie briefly considered this. The Gems were literally aliens, and they were apparently thousands of years old! She couldn't imagine living that long, or knowing thousands of years of history... Why, the Gems were alive during all of America's historical events, they were there...

And the dollar bill had a diamond on it, didn't it? Illuminati confirmed! She would have whipped her wallet out right there if she hadn't remembered that she was in the middle of an investigation.

"Ahem. Erm... Steven... We've got pretty much the whole story from the Gems and your father. You're truly happy here?"

"Yes, of course! I can't believe anyone would think I'm not! I mean, sure, I might get depressed sometimes over... And, uh, sometimes missions are hard and dangerous, but it's just what we do, you know?"

"Yes... It's hard to take it all in, but-"

The screen door opened again, and Barbara and Tony were there. "We've finished our interview. We both believe that these Crystal Gems are outrageously-"

"-Good at what they do. I'm glad you agree with me." Suzie smiled at her bewildered underlings. "Let's go back inside. Come, Steven."

"What? No!" Barbara cried. "There's no reason to-"

But Suzie had already pushed past them with a warning glance. Barbara grimaced. She firmly believed that these... These Gems... They couldn't possibly be good guardians! None of them even had jobs, except for the father!

"Let's finish this up." Tony said gruffly, holding the door open for her. She huffed and marched inside.

The police officers had left, and everyone was gathered at the couch. Suzie was delivering her verdict.

"At first I was a bit shocked and overwhelmed by all this, but after finishing my investigation, I find absolutely nothing wrong with the way Steven has been brought up. This is an unusual and interesting family, to be sure, but that doesn't mean that you all aren't capable of loving and protecting Steven. I'll clear up the little details and we'll-"

"Send him off to school!" Barbara suddenly interrupted. She would get her way, somehow. There was no way Steven could grow up properly without at least a social life.

"What?" Pearl exclaimed. "B-But my charts! Steven's educational development has been soaring, and-"

"He needs to be in school, at the very least to interact with children his own age." Tony maintained.

"I do interact with children my own age!" Steven cried. "And I-"

"We're not sending Steven to school!" Suzie said. "What I was going to say was that I was going to close this case, so you won't be bothered in the future. Steven does not need to attend school. He's very bright already, and I fear his... uniqueness could get him in... Well, other kids might not appreciate him."

"Why not try it out?" Barbara said, almost viciously. "The new school year will start soon. We can enroll him in the appropriate classes for... A week or two, maybe. You could even go to school with your friend... Uh... Bonnie, was it?"

Steven gasped, and his eyes widened. He hadn't thought about that possibility. "School... With Connie! Ohmygosh! CanIcanIcanIcanI pleeeeeaaaase!?"

Pearl and Garnet looked at each other. "Uum, well, I... Suppose that's not too bad of an idea. Connie is starting seventh grade though... Well, I'm sure you can handle that."

"Yeah, man!" Amethyst smiled and viciously hugged Steven. "School's totally awesome! You'll just be sitting there, and bam! Everyone's singing and dancing! I'd totally die laughing every single day. You'll have a blast!"

"Oh, Amethyst, school's really not like that! That was just a movie!"

Garnet sighed and turned to Suzie. "I suppose we can enroll him in school. If he doesn't like it, or if something happens... We'll pull him out immediately."

"O-Of course!" This isn't what she wanted at all. She would definitely have a talk with Barbara and Tony later. "I'll... You just talk to the... Maheswarans, and get all the information you need and send it to me. Here's my card... Don't hesitate to call if there's a problem!"

"Bye!" Steven waved as Suzie ushered the other two agents out of the house. That had gone surprisingly well! And now he could go to school with Connie and see her every day!

Every day... He never usually got to see Connie for more than a few days at a time! This would be totally awesome! And he'd get to make a million friends and-

"Steven." Garnet cleared her throat. Everyone was looking at him.

"Do ya really want to go to school, bud?" Greg asked. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to..."

"No, I really want to go! I'll get to see Connie all the time! Do you know how awesome that is?"

Pearl cleared her throat. "Well, we just want to make sure it's your decision, and not theirs. Suzanne already seemed ready to drop the case, and-"

"No! I totally want to try it out! Ooh, I'll wear my cheeseburger backpack!" He ran to the closet and started pulling out the random things he wanted to bring. Pearl and Greg started to protest, but Garnet held up her hand.

"We must respect Steven's decision. CPS is out of our hair, for now. Let's work to get Steven properly enrolled and ready for school."

"Oh... I'll call Connie's parents... I'll bet they'll be overjoyed by this..." Pearl dejectedly headed over to the phone.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Amethyst stood up. "I'll rehearse dance moves with Steven! He's gotta be ready for his first musical!"

"Amethyst, that's really not how things go!" Greg laughed, going over to his son. "But we can check and make sure Steven has basic supplies!"

"Aw, okay."

Garnet watched them all set to work. There would most likely be some trouble trying to get enrolled... What could she do?

Actually, there was something else she needed to do. She quietly left the house and headed over to the City Hall. She had a few things to say to Mayor Dewey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See ya in the next chapter, and wish Steven good luck! He'll need it.


	3. Chapter 3

Garnet sat, legs and arms crossed, in the second comfiest chair in the mayor's office. Mayor Dewey, of course, was in the most comfiest chair, but he was starting to think that maybe the magical Gem lady wanted his chair. She had been staring at him for the past five minutes, and had not uttered a single word. What else could she want?

"Erm, ahem, haha… Miss Garnet, I feel like we're at an impasse! Is there anything that I can help you with, anything at all?"

Garnet slowly leaned forward.

"Aha ha ha…" Should he call the guards? This was starting to get-

"Mayor Dewey. I'd like to know why you called Child Protective Services on Steven."

Oh, so _that_ was why she was here? He knew that that phone call had been a risky move…

"Well, uh, as capital-M Mayor of Beach City, I am naturally concerned about _all_ of its citizens, and Steven Universe is (regrettably) one such citizen. The boy is always at the heart of almost every disaster that happens here! I'm sure he, and everyone else, would feel more safe and comfortable if the boy had _some_ semblance of a normal life!"

Garnet adjusted her visor. "A normal life for him consists of disasters. We are the Crystal Gems, and our-"

"I know, I know about all that." Mayor Dewey raised his hand.

Garnet frowned. The nerve…

"It just gets _really_ tiring after a while! Not a week goes by where Steven _hasn't_ destroyed something or some _spooky_ alien stuff happens that knocks out a city block! I'm not made of money, you know!"

"Clearly. You're human."

"Uh…" Was there an underlying meaning to that statement? "Yes, yes I am."

"Mayor Dewey, I apologize for the trouble the Gems and I have caused you, but you must consider the bigger picture. Is it better that a few buildings get destroyed, instead of the entire city, or the entire planet? I don't like unnecessary damages and costs any more than you do, but protecting the human race is something we must do, regardless."

Dewey folded his hands. "I understand where you're coming from, but it's honestly too much. Wouldn't things be better with Steven out of _everyone's_ hair for just a few hours?"

"The last time Steven was out of my hair for a few hours, he was lost in the void of space."

"Ohh… Uh…" He didn't quite know what to say about that. "Well, he won't get lost in space if he's in school, right?"

Garnet stared at him. He stared at Garnet. Another five minutes passed.

"Very well." Garnet suddenly stood up. "Steven is currently enrolling in school anyways. He wants to try it out."

"O-Oh, that's fantastic! See, everything worked out just fine!"

"But Mister Mayor." She casually leaned over his desk. "If you ever call the authorities on us again, we'll have to call the authorities on you."

He stared at her, sweating heavily.

"Get it?" She backed away. "Because you'll be so heavily damaged that you'll need an ambulance."

"H-Hey! You can't threaten me! I'm tired of you and your team causing trouble!" Dewey cried, standing up. Garnet smiled and went to the door.

"If you don't want us in your hair, why don't you just go to school?" She opened the door. "I'm sure the town would be a lot more safe and comfortable with you gone for a few hours." And with that, she left, waving goodbye to the security guards. Mayor Dewey stared after her, dumbfounded. The audacity… To threaten the Mayor! Why, he oughta…

Then he considered for a moment. He slowly sat down and dialed a number on his phone.

"Hello? He-ey, yup, it's Mayor Dewey. Say, I've been thinking that maybe I need to take some time to brush up on my _learning_. Yeah. Gotta be the best mayor I can be! Yup. How about online classes? Yeah, that seems great… In fact, why not a whole campaign! 'Mayor Dewey, the _scholar_..."

* * *

"Let's see…" Greg flipped through the enrollment packet again. "Look's like we've got everything. Proof of residence… Uh… Oh, no…"

"What's wrong?" Steven asked, settling down on the couch beside his dad.

"We need your immunization records!"

"Uh… What're those?"

Greg set the packet down and picked up his phone. "It means you need to go to the hospital and get your shots. Let's see here…"

Hospital? Shots? That didn't sound too good. Steven really wasn't fond of hospitals, especially after what happened the last time he visited one. He sank into the couch while his dad started making more phone calls.

At that moment, Amethyst and Pearl walked in. Steven jumped up and ran over to them. "You guys gotta help me!"

"There's no need to yell, Steven!" Pearl yelled. "What's the matter?"

"Dad says I gotta go to the hospital and get shots! Do I really have to?"

Pearl laughed. "It's not _that_ bad, Steven. The only _real_ trouble we'll have is finding a suitable doctor… Hmm... " She walked over to Greg and started going through the enrollment packet again. "Oh, Greg, does Steven have health insurance?"

"Yeah, besides you guys, he-"

"Uh, are you guys dumb or somethin'?" Amethyst said, hopping onto the couch. "Who's, like, the _only_ doctor we know that would be willing to give Steven shots?"

Pearl and Greg stared blankly at her.

"Are you kidding me? She's tall… Bossy… The mother of Steven's _best friend_ …"

"Miss Maheswaran!" Steven cheered.

"Oh. Right." Pearl laughed nervously. "How could I forget? I'll call her up right away!"

Steven felt a bit happier. Miss Maheswaran was totally the best doctor in the world, and the only doctor who knew about the Crystal Gems, sort of. He sat down and steeled himself for the visit to the hospital. They'd probably have to wait for a while, maybe even a few days, since Miss Maheswaran was definitely busy, and-

"Great news, Steven!" Pearl said, hanging up the phone. "Priyanka isn't busy right now! We can head up and get your shots! The sooner, the better!"

Ugh…

* * *

Steven nervously followed the Gems into the hospital. It was bright and filled with people now, but he still felt a bit anxious. He grabbed Amethyst's hand while Pearl and Garnet talked to the receptionist.

"What's up, man? You look so jumpy." Amethyst ruffled his hair. "I'm sure shots aren't _that_ bad. Hey, maybe I can get some too!"

"Uh, wouldn't they make you poof?" Steven asked.

"Pfft, nah. Little needles are no match for these babies!" She shape-shifted her arms to look more muscly, and Steven laughed awkwardly as some people around them started to stare.

"A-Amethyst! No shape-shifting, remember?"

"Uh, whatever." She returned to normal and dragged Steven over to the counter, where Pearl and Garnet were finishing up. "Hey, can we get this over with now?

"Not quite, you two. We need to wait in the waiting room until Doctor Maheswaran is ready for us."

"Aww!" Amethyst slumped over. "How long will _that_ take?"

* * *

-2 Hours Later-

Steven idly flipped through the apps on his phone again. He didn't want to play Crossy Road, he didn't want to watch videos…

"Ugh." He looked around. The waiting room was still quite full. Garnet had sat silently the entire time, without doing anything. Pearl had read all the old magazines in the room, and was currently re-reading one about mechanics, occasionally shaking her head. Amethyst had pretty much slept the whole time, but when she woke up she had played games with Steven, like giving funny names to everyone else in the room. But now even that didn't seem appealing. The poor boy was just too bored. Maybe he was fated to die in this eternal-

"Steven... Universe?" A nurse called. He jumped up.

"Oh! That's me! I'm Steven!" He waved at the nurse, who awkwardly waved back and gestured to the door where all the doctors came out of.

Steven stood up with a cheer and ran over to the door. As he opened it, he turned to find the three Gems standing right behind him, staring him down.

"Uh…" He glanced at the nurse. "Can they all come with me?"

The nurse shrugged. "I don't see a problem with it. The doctors might object though; it depends on who it is. Doc Maheswaran is usually pretty strict."

"We can stay out here if you want, Steven. It's no trouble!" Pearl smiled. Steven could see the pain of endless magazine-reading in her eyes. He shook his head and opened the door wider.

"No way. We're all in this together! Yeah!"

And off they went. The nurse led them through a few twisting halls before coming to a small examination room. "You can all wait here until she's ready."

"Whaaat!" Steven cried. "Even _more_ waiting? This hospital is so inefficient!"

The nurse nodded and slowly backed away, closing the door. Steven and the Gems silently looked around the room. It was pretty small, with a counter, two small chairs, a tiny stand with a computer, and an odd-looking bed covered with a long sheet of paper. Steven climbed up on it and sat down.

"I've seen these rooms on TV! The doctor comes in, and asks you all sorts of personal questions, and then they stick a stick down your throat, and shine lights in your eyes…"

"Well, what's the point of that?" Amethyst asked. "I thought doctors were supposed to make you better, not annoy you." She shape-shifted into a small bird to give Pearl and Garnet more space.

Pearl squeezed herself past Garnet and sat down in one of the chairs. "Well, they've annoyed us pretty good so far. This room is just too-"

The door opened, and Doctor Maheswaran was there. "Hello… Oh, what are you all doing in here? There's not enough room!"

"O-Oh, don't worry, I just wanted them to stay with me!" Steven said. "They'll be quiet!"

Dr. Maheswaran sighed and closed the door behind her. She set a small bag down on the counter and turned to the Gems. "It's nice to see you all again, I suppose, but I need space in here. Maybe one of you could- Is that a bird?"

"Tweet tweet." Amethyst said.

"Uh… Yes, well, you can just wait outside. It won't take too long. And don't-"

"Oh, what if you guys just-"

"No, Steven." Garnet said. "We aren't fusing. There definitely isn't enough room in here for _that_."

Dr. Maheswaran shuddered. "Definitely not."

The Gems agreed to wait outside, and they filed out, bidding farewell to Steven. As soon as the door closed, he started to feel nervous again. The doctor went over to the computer.

"So, how are you, Steven?" She asked, logging into the computer.

"Oh, I'm… Great!"

"Fantastic. Is this really your first… No, second time in a hospital? Weren't you born in one?"

"Uh, no. I'm not really sure of the specifics, but, uh… Well, you see, my mom-"

"Yes, yes." She tapped at the keyboard. "You don't have much of a file. And I understand that you're not exactly… Human…"

"Nope. I'm half-Gem!" He lifted up his shirt and patted his gem. Dr. Maheswaran glanced at it and nodded.

"I see. Well, I'm not really sure if I can give you vaccinations."

"What!? So we waited all day for nothing?"

"Hmm, maybe. Since you're not entirely human, there's no telling if the shots will work, or if they'll do something awful to you. I _highly_ doubt that would happen, but… Have you ever gotten sick before?"

"Uh, sometimes I get colds… And I'm allergic to pollen and stuff!"

"I see." She tapped at the keyboard again, and they were silent for a few moments. Then Steven got an idea.

"Why don't we just… Pretend I got my shots!"

"What?"

"We could just tell the school I got my shots, and-"

"Steven, that is illegal! And besides, if you _are_ susceptible to these diseases, you'll definitely want to have these shots. Come on, let's get it over with. Both Connie and myself would like to see you in school, and if I can help you accomplish that, I will."

She stood up and went to the counter, putting on a pair of plastic gloves. She opened a drawer and took out several syringes, and opened the bag she had brought and took stuff out of there too. Steven quietly tried to calm himself; he wasn't going to die or anything, right? They were just shots.

"So, uh, how many shots do I need?"

"You've never been vaccinated before, so… Well, today, you're getting six."

Six!? That was six too many! He tensed as the doctor approached him. She opened a wipe and wiped down his arm, near the shoulder.

"Is the arm okay? I might have to do both of them."

"Uh… S-Sure?"

She picked up a syringe and moved in. "Don't worry, Steven, this will only hurt a little bit." She advanced, the syringe getting closer and closer, the needle glinting menacingly in the-

"Bwaah!" The doctor suddenly slammed into something and fell over. Steven opened his eyes.

"O-Oh…" He had accidentally activated his bubble. "Are you okay? I'm sorry!"

"I'm… Fine…" The doctor said through gritted teeth, pulling herself up. She disposed of the syringe she had dropped and prepared a new one. "Just calm down, Steven. And, uh, get rid of that bubble, please."

"Oh, right." He did so and closed his eyes. He had faced monsters and enemy Gems, and had even gotten lost in space. A few shots couldn't hurt him! He braced himself.

* * *

"Aaaand, done!" She started wrapping his arms.

"W-What?" His arms _did_ feel kind of sore, but had it really been that quick?

"Yup." She disposed of everything and took off her gloves. "How do you feel?"

"Fine, I guess."

They left the room. Pearl practically jumped on him.

"Steven! How did it go? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, haha!" He gave each of the Gems a hug and turned to Dr. Maheswaran. "Thanks! You were right! I barely even felt it!"

"Of course I was right. Now, Miss, uh, all of you. If _anything_ odd happens, do not hesitate to call me again. Steven might get a little sick, but it's just how the vaccinations work, and-"

"Yes, yes, I did all sorts of research about it." Pearl said. "I'll call you if there are any problems."

"Awesome, man!" Amethyst high-fived Steven. "You're all ready for school! Let's get out of this dump!"

Dr. Maheswaran huffed. Amethyst was _not_ her favorite, definitely. She continued talking with Garnet and Pearl and promised to send the immunization records to them, and soon the four of them were out of the hospital.

"That was cool! It was a lot better than the last time I was here, besides the waiting. Maybe we can come to the hospital more often!"

"Let's hope not." Garnet said. Pearl laughed nervously and clapped her hands.

"Well, let's get home. It's nearly dinner time, and you need to start getting used to sleeping early, Steven. You need to be your best for school! Oh, I can't wait! You really learn great discipline when you operate by a schedule, and-"

"Aww."

She continued blathering as they walked over to the van. Greg had let them borrow it while he finished paperwork, since Lion didn't want to carry them all again.

Steven slowly climbed into the van, trying to sort out his feelings. He knew there would be parts about school he wouldn't like, but it would be fine, as long as he had his dad and the Gems and Connie. He couldn't wait to see his friend. Only one more week!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked it. I haven't been in a hospital for quite a while, thankfully, but I've always wondered how things like vaccines and diseases would apply to Steven.
> 
> Please comment and get ready for Steven's first day of school!


	4. Chapter 4

"So… This 'school'... Why do you have to waste your time going to it? There's _tons_ of things that I bet you'd rather be doing."

"No way, Peridot! School's totally awesome! They have a library, like the one Connie took me to, and a cafeteria and a big huge field… Uh, look, Pearl got a map for me."

Steven reached into his cheeseburger backpack and rummaged through all the school supplies his dad had bought him. Greg and the Gems all wanted to make sure that Steven was completely prepared for his first day, and so his backpack was overloaded with a lot of stuff that seemed pretty useless.

"Okay, here's the map." He pulled out a small slip of paper. "It's Beach City Junior High! Apparently it's one of the few middle schools in the area. It's not too big, but look at all the stuff they've got!"

"What an original name..." Peridot muttered, snatching the map from him. She scrutinized it. "What's an… Auditorium? Do you learn about hearing things there?"

"It's like a big huge room where they do announcements!" Steven explained. "I went on the school tour with Pearl and I got to see it. School starts tomorrow, and I'm super excited!"

"What's the point of this 'school' anyway? All these buildings and… classrooms. Why're there so many of them?"

"Well, school is a place people go to learn about the world! It prepares them for being adults! But some adults go to school, too, and that's called college."

"Pfft." Peridot handed the map back to him and went over to his bag. "That's incredibly inefficient. And look how stuffed your bag is? Do humans really need all these tools just to learn? Unbelievable."

She started pulling things out of the backpack: a large binder filled with paper and dividers, several notebooks, several folders with interesting designs (Steven had let the Gems buy the ones they liked), a large pencil pouch filled with pencils and pens, another pencil pouch filled with markers and colored pencils, a mini-stapler, a ruler that was also a three-hole puncher, a Cookie Cat lunchbox, and a…

"What is this thing?" Peridot held up the strange device and pointing it at Steven. It was a strange sort of hinge with a pencil at one end and a sharp point at the other.

"Oh, that's a compass. It's for math."

"Compass? You can't tell directions with this! How much of this stuff do you actually need, anyway?"

"Well, that's not even all of it. The rest is at home cuz I couldn't fit it in my backpack."

Peridot snorted and started shoving things back in the bag. Steven helped her, trying to get everything organized again. This certainly _was_ a lot of supplies, but he wanted to be prepared too. There was no telling what he would need. Actually there was, but Pearl believed the supply lists were insufficient.

"Don't you have schools back on Homeworld, Peridot?"

The green Gem almost burst into laughter and slapped Steven on the back. "Oh, you're hilarious, Steven!"

"Ow."

"Gems don't need _school_. Most of us are grown with the knowledge we need already implanted within us. No Gem needs to know more than what they need to know, you know. We also have the extensive data and library systems compiled by our researchers for the Diamonds, but those are... Ohmigosh, I can _totally_ imagine it! Yellow Diamond… Attending school! Hahaha! And I would be the instructor! I would teach lessons on how to not be a clod! Ha!"

Steven finished packing and stood up, smiling as Peridot rolled around on the ground, laughing hysterically. "Well, that's cool, I guess. If I was born already knowing everything, then my life would be a lot easier."

"He, he, exactly! Why don't the humans just do that? I mean, I'm not privy to how humans are grown, but I'm sure that knowledge implementation wouldn't be _that_ hard."

Steven rubbed his neck. "I dunno, Peri. I think some people would find that… Uh… Well, anything is possible with science, I guess. But school isn't just about learning! You go there to hang out with your friends at lunch and have fun! And in high school, there's clubs and dances and stuff!"

"Hmm… Well, I guess the social aspect of it would be useful… Maybe _I_ could enroll in this 'school' too!"

Steven was about to say that that would be a wonderful idea when he was interrupted by Pearl, who had burst into the barn. "Steven! There you are. We need to get you ready for school tomorrow! Come on, let's go."

Peridot jumped up excitedly and ran over to Pearl. "Ooh! Could I come too? I wanna enroll in the 'school'!"

"No, no, Peridot. I don't think you'd quite fit in there… Besides, you're a Crystal Gem now, and you _regrettably_ have to be available should we require your help."

"Regrettably? What do ya mean by-"

But Pearl was already walking away. "Come on, Steven! Time is of the essence!"

"O-Oh, okay. Bye, Peridot! Say hi to Lapis for me!" Steven waved innocently and ran after Pearl, leaving Peridot to silently fume in the barn. He thought of Peridot attending school with him and smirked. What if _all_ the Gems enrolled? That would be totally amazing! But it probably would be a bad idea...

* * *

Steven nervously climbed out of the van and watched his dad pull away. This was it. He felt incredibly nervous seeing the crowds of children, but some of them looked familiar, so that was good. He saw Peedee running towards the other side of the school. Maybe he'd get some classes with him?

He made his way to the office. Connie said she'd be waiting for him there. The further Steven went, the more nervous he felt. Suppose the kids didn't like him? Well, he knew that he couldn't make friends with everybody. He had Connie, and maybe Peedee. What did it-

"Oof!" He had slammed into another kid, and the kid was sent sprawling. This was no time to get lost in thought!

"O-Oh, I'm sorry!" Steven leaned over and helped the boy up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The kid grumbled, pushing past him. "Watch where you're going, fatso."

Well, that was rude. Steven shook his head and entered the front office, where he immediately slammed into another- Oh, it was Connie.

"Steven!" She cried, hugging him tight. "You're really here! Oh, this is awesome!"

"Y-Yeah!" He returned the hug. "I'm really nervous though. And there's a lot of kids here…"

"Ah, don't worry about it. You'll be fine! Look, I got your schedule from the front desk. Here!" She shoved a piece of paper into Steven's hand and started jumping up and down excitedly. He unfolded the schedule…

"Looklooklooklook!" Connie's finger darted all over the page. "We have History and P.E. together!"

"Okay, okay!" Steven laughed. "Let me see it!"

Connie backed away and Steven finally analyzed his schedule. He had Art first, then History (with Connie), Pre-Algebra, Life Science, Language Arts, and P.E. (with Connie). Six classes...

"Aw, this looks like so much fun! Do you have Pre-Algebra too? We should be in _all_ the same classes!"

"No, sadly. I had online classes and study sessions over the summer so I could get ahead. I'm in regular Algebra, and I have a few other higher classes as well." Connie showed Steven her schedule.

"Awww… Well, this is still pretty awesome. So when do we start? Has the bell rung yet?"

"Not yet, but come on! I'll take you to Ms. Gregory's class!" She grabbed his hand and ran through the office into the school proper. They went down several halls until Connie stopped at a corner classroom.

"This is Ms. Gregory's room. I don't take art, but I've met her a few times and she's really cool, and next is-" But before she could take off again, the bell rang.

"Oh! I gotta go! I'll meet you here after first period so we can go to History together, okay?"

"O-Okay." Steven felt immensely overwhelmed, and he barely responded as Connie hugged him again and took off, just as other kids started filling the halls. He steeled himself and entered the classroom.

It was a medium-sized room, with lots of long tables in bunches in the middle. Around the edges were cabinets and shelves filled with many, many art supplies, and some of the shelves were overflowing with random things: boxes of pencils, crusty paint jugs, posters, old art projects, and even- No, he couldn't sit here all day analyzing the room. It seemed pretty cozy though, even though it smelled like old paint.

Steven walked awkwardly over to the teacher's desk. Ms. Gregory was a tall, tan woman with long black hair that sort of reminded him of Connie. She smiled at him as he approached.

"Welcome! You look a bit lost, dear. Just go ahead and take a seat."

"Uhh, okay…" He looked around again and decided to sit at the table furthest from the front. Here, he could see the whole entire room, and he watched as more kids started filing in. They all sat down without question, talking to each other loudly and laughing. It was like they were all one big blob of friends… Like the Cluster. But Steven didn't want to feel left out. The closest kid was a girl sitting a few seats away from him.

"Um, hi there!" He called to her. She glanced up at him and frowned before turning away towards another kid. Why was everyone here so unfriendly? Well, it was their loss.

The bell rang again. Ms. Gregory stood up and clapped her hands. "Alright, kids, calm yourselves down. I gotta take role, okay?

The talking quieted slightly, and the teacher sat back down at her computer and started calling names. "Sierra Bailey?"

"Here!"

"Matt Bennett?"

"Here…"

The role-taking continued, and Steven wondered if there was anyone besides him with an interesting name. All the names she was calling seemed pretty ordinary; hopefully there would be someone else with an awesome name like Maheswaran or Universe.

"Cyan Shaw?"

"Right here!"

"Steven… Universe?"

Oh! That was him! Should he just say 'here', or raise his hand, or-

"Steven Universe!" She called again.

"H-Here!" He squeaked out. The other kids looked at him as Ms. Gregory finished taking attendance. Why were they staring? Wasn't Universe a cool last name? Most of the people in Beach City thought so. Steven couldn't help feeling a bit self-conscious.

"Alright. Welcome to the new school year, all of you. Now, the first few days are usually pretty chill, but you better get out of vacation mode quick, because I have a lot to teach you. Today, I want you to get some paper and draw something that represents yourself… Something totally you. I want to see how you draw and what you like. You gotta finish it by the end of the period. No horsing around…"

Everyone started getting up and going around the room, grabbing various supplies. Steven stayed at his desk, wondering what to draw. Something that was him… Well, he liked a lot of stuff, so…

He got up and went to the nearest shelf, grabbing some paper and crayons. He liked using crayons. Was that childish? Would the other kids laugh? He quickly put the crayons back and grabbed a box of colored pencils and opened it.

Right on top was a pink one. He grabbed it and smiled. He definitely knew what to draw now.

* * *

Ms. Gregory waited patiently as her students set their drawings on her desk and left the classroom. It was only the first period of the day, and she knew she'd be in for it. The kids seemed even wilder than they did last year.

The Universe boy was the last one out. She actually liked his last name, and he seemed pretty sweet. The boy came forward and set his drawing face-down on the desk.

"Thank you, Steven. See you tomorrow."

"Y-Yeah. See ya!" He smiled and ran out. The poor boy was so awkward and nervous, you'd think he'd never been in a school before! She grabbed his drawing and looked at it.

It was a very large, very pink circle with a pentagon in the middle, dividing the circle into five sections. She studied it closely. What was it supposed to be? The lines were perfectly straight, but the outside circle was a bit shaky. The pink shading was done pretty well, and there were sketches on the outside of… Well, they could be flowers, but she wasn't sure.

In the bottom corner was his name and… 'Rose Quartz'. Oh, it was a rock! How interesting. She'd met very few kids who liked rocks and gemstones. She set the paper back down on the pile and greeted her next class. Hopefully there would be even more interesting drawings. A lot of kids actually had some good talent.

* * *

Steven swung his feet excitedly. He was sitting in a desk right next to Connie! How awesome was that!? He had heard that Medieval History was boring, but he honestly liked hearing about knights and castles and whatever else Medieval History might be, and even if it was boring, he had Connie sitting right _next_ to him!

"Mr. Milton is pretty strict, so you need to make sure to stay focused on your work, Steven." Connie seemed to know about almost all of the teachers at the school, and it was fun hearing about them. "And try not to get… You know…"

"What?"

"Well, I know Pearl has taught you a lot about history, and she was the one who was there, of course, so she's right. But the history books here say what they say, so don't try to correct the book or Mr. Milton. He gets really angry when people do that."

"Oh, I get it. Don't worry about it. It'll just be, like, seeing a different perspective of things! Garnet says it's always important to do that."

"Yeah, that's true… Oh, here he comes!

They settled down and started class. Steven was super excited. He loved history! He couldn't wait to see if the books mentioned Gems or anything related to them. The excitement of this prospect kept him happy the entire class, even though they barely did anything and Mr. Milton seemed like he didn't want to be there. Poor guy. Steven decided to be super nice to him, and waved goodbye as the class ended. "See ya later, Mr. Milton!"

The teacher didn't seem to appreciate it though.

* * *

In Pre-Algebra, he had to introduce himself to the class. Everyone else had done it. And now he was standing up, with the entire class's eyes on him. This wasn't hard. He introduced himself all the time!

"H-Hi! My name is, uh, Steven Universe. Yeah, and um-"

"Is that your real name?" A boy next to him asked.

"Uh, yeah, it is…"

The class murmured. "That's really cool!" The boy said. "What's your middle name?"

Oh, jeez. "Uh, it's Quartz. Steven Quartz Universe."

The math teacher, Mr. Stewart, would've shook his head at this, had it not been on the roster. Honestly, parents these days were naming their kids anything… He still shook his head. At least the boy seemed sensible.

"Well, anyways, I like watching T.V. and stuff, and uh… Um… One interesting fact about me…" There were a lot of interesting facts about him. Most of them couldn't be shared with the school, though

"Uh, this is my first time going to school? I guess that's interesting…"

The class started chattering again. "You mean you've never been to school before!?" A girl cried. "How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen…"

"Lucky…" The girl said. " _I_ wish I _never_ had to go to school." Most of the class murmured in agreement, and Steven felt relieved as the teacher calmed them down and moved on to the next student. Maybe being different wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

The rest of the day proceeded very well. People seemed to like him in Life Science, though a few kids had laughed at him when he tripped coming into the class. He sat with Connie at lunch and listened to all of her excited plans for the year while they shared food. The Gems had packed him a huge lunch, but he didn't mind because it was nice to share it with Connie. She introduced him to a few of her own friends, who were all super nice, and they had all pooled their own food, making an enormous lunch party sort of thing.

English was fun because they got to go to the library. It wasn't as big as the Buddy Buddwick library, but there were still a lot of books there. Steven couldn't wait to read them all, which he wanted to do even though his teacher said that was an 'unrealistic' goal. Apparently she was all about goals, even though she didn't have any of her own. How weird.

P.E. was alright. Steven didn't know why they called it 'Physical Education' if all they did was exercise and not really learn anything. It was still fun, almost like a less intense training session, and he had fun chasing Connie around the gym. In the end, he had had a satisfying first day, and only a few kids had laughed at him! He was glad there weren't any bullies or anything, and he couldn't wait to make more friends.

* * *

"-And that's how school went!" Steven finished, giving Suzie a big smile. She smiled back, feeling happy for him. She barely remembered her young school days, and it was refreshing to hear a kid be excited about school for once.

"So, you like it there?" She asked again.

"Yeah! I mean, most of the kids aren't even from Beach City, but it's still pretty cool, and no one was mean to me or anything, even though some kids laughed, but it's alright. I can't wait to go back tomorrow!"

Suzie smiled and wrote down some more notes. She was glad this seemed to be working out. Barbara and Tony might've had the right idea after all. She was still apprehensive about it though. Kids often made fun of strange or unusual people, as if they didn't deserve the same respect as everyone else. If someone saw Steven's Gem…

"Well, I'll be back at the end of the week to talk again, okay?" She stood up and gathered up her things. "I hope you have a good time. Make sure to stay on top of your work!"

"Yeah! Of course! See ya later, Miss Suzie!"

He walked her out of the house and watched her walk across the beach. He was proud that he had gotten through his first day, and hoped that he'd eventually overcome his shyness. He was usually open and friendly to everybody! There wasn't any reason to be afraid. The kids at school were kids, just like him. They weren't aliens, right?

Steven ran back inside, bouncing with excitement. He couldn't wait to go back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How 'bout that new episode? Connie will totally suplex any bullies that come Steven's way.
> 
> I'm thinking of changing the summary since the story will focus more on school now, but I'm not sure if I should. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for all the reviews!


End file.
